creatine has been proven to be safe and effective for building muscle mass but research suggests that it can do so much more in fact This research is so compelling that there's an argument to make that just about everyone might want to consider using it I'm Dr Charles let's dive in right now first things first what is creatine creatine is one of the most well-studied supplements on the market with over 1 000 studies highlighting its beneficial effects and safety profile primarily used and thought of as a bodybuilding supplement where it has been scientifically proven to help
build more strength increase muscle mass improve athletic performance and prevent fatigue while these benefits are amazing emerging research is suggesting that it may be able to do so much more but in order to understand why that is you have to understand how creatine is working creatine helps your body produce something called ATP which is what your cells use for energy the energy that creatine helps your body produce is for Rapid use only which means it's ideal for situations in which you need a lot of energy very quickly think lifting heavy weights or sprinting but if
you know anything about human physiology you'll know that every single cell in your body has a need for ATP not just your muscles yes the majority of creatine is concentrated in the muscles but we also know that it is found in other tissues such as the brain and these tissues all benefit from higher energy production which is probably why creatine is so effective for treating certain medical conditions which we will talk about in just a second without further Ado here are six different benefits that creatine provides on top of its benefits to muscle health number
one creatine impacts muscle mass and body composition I know I said we would talk about more than just muscle Health but I can't skip an opportunity to talk about how creatine use can help you lose weight this benefit on body composition is mediated through creatine's ability to slow down or halt age-related decline in muscle mass known as sarcopenia and guess what everyone suffers from this condition as you age your muscle mass will begin to fade which means you will more easily gain weight and be more susceptible to metabolic conditions like diabetes and metabolic syndrome what's
amazing here is that the combination of creatine use at 5 grams per day with resistance training increases lean muscle mass at any age researchers have tested this on both old and young people and all populations benefit you don't just have to be a fit 20 year old to see benefits on muscle mass when using creatine this increase in muscle mass has a positive impact on your metabolism which can help you lose weight more easily so is creatine considered a weight loss supplement not exactly but when combined with diet and exercise it can definitely help you
lose weight easier number two creatine makes your bones stronger this is particularly important for women who suffer from age-related decline in bone mass one study showed that creatine supplementation with resistance training increase the strength and bone density of women who are post-menopausal menopausal women are the most crucial population when it comes to bone loss so this is a big deal if you have bone loss for any reason then creatine is worth looking into as a way to limit your exposure to potentially harmful prescription bone loss medications and their side effects number three creatine provides neural
protective benefits in other words it keeps your brain healthy Studies have shown that supplementation with creatine crosses the blood-brain barrier and increases the concentration of creatine inside of your brain right now creatine is used to treat mild to moderate conditions like depression and has even been used to treat more severe brain conditions like traumatic brain injury Huntington's disease ALS and Parkinson's disease the exact mechanism for how and why it's working is not completely understood but it's probably mediated through its impact on energy production and something called the mitochondrial permeability transition poor to simplify the more
ATP and energy that your brain produces the better probably the most interesting benefit here is that on mood and depressive symptoms since millions of people suffer from depression and antidepressants typically don't work that well creatine is definitely worth trying if you have depression or some other brain related condition number four creatine acts as an anti-inflammatory agent what does this mean it acts to reduce the inflammatory Cascade that is triggered by a number of different medical conditions this effect is so powerful that some studies show that it has similar anti-inflammatory effects to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs otherwise
known as NSAIDs NSAIDs are a class of medications that include ibuprofen aspirin and naproxen the problem with many of these NSAIDs is that they cause gastrointestinal related side effects and increase your risk of developing serious bleeds imagine using a much safer alternative like creatine to manage inflammatory related conditions like arthritis back pain headaches migraines joint pain toothaches and so on Creatine safety profile makes it a much better alternative than these medications and at worst you can simply combine them together to limit the need for higher doses of these other medicines personally I've had issues with
back pain in the past and I can tell you from experience that using creatine helped reduce my back pain considerably number five creatine positively impacts the innate immune system creatine acts on the immune system and is considered to have immunomodulatory effects specifically it has been shown to down regulate something called toll-like receptors and these are the same receptors which when dysfunctional increase your risk of developing autoimmune disease this means creatine has the potential to be used as a treatment for people who are suffering from autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis Hashimoto's thyroiditis and so on on
top of this benefit creatine has also been shown to alter the release of inflammatory cytokines by acting on the nfkv pathway for perspective this is the same pathway that turmeric or curcumin act on as well and if you've been paying attention to the research on turmeric or curcumin then you know that that is also a powerful anti-inflammatory agent number six creatine improves skin health and may act to slow down the Aging of skin creatine has antioxidant properties which when combined with its effect and ability to increase energy production may serve as an effective anti-wrinkle intervention
we know that things like stress from sunlight and ultraviolet rays increase oxidative damage inside of your cells this stress reduces creatine kinase activity which means that when you take creatine you can better help your cells protect themselves researchers have even tested topical creatine which is just taking creatine and placing it topically on the skin where it has been shown to increase and stimulate collagen production and influence gene expression one six-week trial showed that topical creatine significantly reduce sagging of the skin on the face and around the eyes so how can you get all these benefits
creatine is an extremely inexpensive and safe supplement and you can get it just about anywhere including online stores like Amazon the ideal dose is 5 grams taken each and every day with a cup of water some people recommend loading up with creatine in higher doses in the beginning but that's typically not necessary if you plan on taking it every single day for a long period of time daily use of creatine at the rate of 5 grams per day will allow it to build up into your system and even though you might not take advantage of
all these benefits very quickly it will still get there within about a couple of weeks but if you want to get there faster you can load with a higher dose temporarily creatine comes in a white powder dissolves easily in water and doesn't have a strong taste making it incredibly easy to take you'll find many different forms of creatine on the market but the cheapest and most effective is creatine monohydrate look for any supplement which contains only this formulation with no added ingredients you'll want to check on the back of your creatine supplement to confirm that
it only contains creatine monohydrate and nothing else there's absolutely no reason to have any extra added dyes fillers or binders my personal recommendation would be to strongly consider using creatine even if you don't lift weights for conditions like autoimmune disease especially Hashimoto's thyroiditis and rheumatoid arthritis but in reality it will be beneficial for any autoimmune disease any inflammatory condition or pain syndrome any skin related condition especially acne and especially those who are trying to just maintain normal health of the skin any form of depression or mood related disorder obesity especially if you combine it with
diet and exercise and virtually any metabolic condition including things like PCOS and metabolic syndrome and even diabetes all you have to do is take five grams per day and enjoy the benefits that it provides if you're interested in taking creatine for weight loss then check out this video next which outlines the most effective weight loss supplements on the market
